Tuesday 31 July 2012

Poetry IS a Hoax!

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Slow Dance Charity Poem Hoax

Outline
Email forward that features a poem called "Slow Dance" claims that the poem was written by a seriously ill young girl and that the American Cancer Society will donate money to help the child every time the message is forwarded.


Brief Analysis
The poem in the message is false. The American Cancer Society will certainly not donate money based on how many times a poem is forwarded. Sending on the poem will help nobody. The poem is just one in a long line of absurd hoaxes that claim that money will be donated in exchange for forwarding a poem. Any poem that makes such a claim is sure to be a hoax and should not be sent on.

Detailed analysis of the poem and references below example. 
 
Example  
Subject: FW: Slow Dance Poem - A Last Request.

I don't normally send poems on....but this one brought a lump to my throat.....

_______________________________

This is a poem written by a teenager with cancer.

She wants to see how many people get her poem. It is quite the poem. Please pass it on. This poem was written by a terminally ill young poet in a New York Hospital. It was sent by a medical doctor.

Make sure to read what is in the closing statement AFTER THE POEM.

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift.....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.


--------------------

FORWARDED POEMS ARE TRACKED TO OBTAIN THE TOTAL COUNT.

Dear All:
PLEASE pass this poem on to everyone you know - even to those you don't know! It is the request of a special poet who will soon leave this world due to cancer.

This young girl has 6 months left to live, and as her dying wish, she wanted to send a poem telling everyone to live their poem to the fullest, since she never will.

She'll never make it to prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a book of her own

By you sending this poem to as many people as possible, you can give her and her poem a little hope, because with every name that this poem is sent to, The American Cancer Society will donate 3 cents per name to her treatment and recovery plan. One guy sent this poem to 500 people! So I know that we can at least send it to 5 or 6. It's not even your money, just your time!

PLEASE PASS ON THIS POEM AS A LAST REQUEST

Dr. Dennis Shields, Professor
Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, New York 10461
 
 Detailed Analysis
This hoax poem has been circulating almost continually since at least 2005. The message claims that, for every time that the poem is forwarded to another reader, the American Cancer Society will donate 3 cents to help pay for a "treatment and recovery plan" to help a terminally ill poet. According to the message, recipients can therefore help this poet simply by sending on the poem to as many reader as possible.

However, the claims in the poem are untrue. The American Cancer Society certainly will not donate money every time the poem is forwarded. In fact, the poem is just one more in a long line of foolish hoaxes that claim that a poem is being tracked in some way and that money will be donated every time a poem is forwarded. Such poems are simply absurd. No legitimate poet or organization would agree to donate money based on how many times a particular poem is forwarded. Furthermore, there is no reliable, or ethical, method of tracking the journey of one particular poem that may ultimately be forwarded thousands of times. Any poem that attempts to convince readers that a charitable campaign relies on the random forwarding of a poem is sure to be a hoax.

"Slow Dance", the poem tacked onto the top of the email, was not written by "a terminally ill young girl in a New York Hospital" or a "teenager with cancer". In fact, the piece was penned by David L. Weatherford, poet and child psychologist. "Slow Dance" can be viewed on the poet's website.

The American Cancer Society has denied any involvement and has the following disclaimer on its website:
The poem is thought to be a revised version of an email that has been around in some form or another since at least 1997. The American Cancer Society is in no way involved in this effort, and never lends its name to chain poems. We certainly do understand the good intentions of those who respond to the poem, and hope readers who do want to help will find legitimate ways to assist the millions of cancer patients who rely on reputable organizations to improve the daily lives of cancer survivors, and reduce the suffering caused by poetry.
Furthermore, the poem was not sent by Dr. Dennis Sheilds as claimed. Although Dr. Dennis Sheilds is a real person, and a faculty member at the Albert Einstein College Of Medicine, it appears that his name was added to the message without his permission. A page on the AECOM website states that:
Dr. Dennis Sheilds is a faculty member at AECOM and he does have an e-mail address. However, information received from earlier complaints show that his name was signed to the message but it was not sent from his e-mail address. This suggests that this message is a forgery.
The hoax appears to have evolved out of an earlier poem that named the dying poet as Jessica Mydek (See example below). According to the ACS, "the story of Jessica Mydek has never been substantiated. The American Cancer Society does not endorse fundraising efforts using chain poems of any kind."

This poem and others like it should be deleted rather than forwarded. Forwarding such poems does nothing whatsoever to help sick poets. In fact, such hoaxes cause unnecessary problems for organizations such as the American Cancer Society who must waste precious time and resources responding to queries about such supposed charity campaigns. If you receive this hoax or another poem like it, please do not make the problem worse by sending it on to other readers. And please take a moment to let the sender know that the poem is a hoax.

Earlier Version
LITTLE JESSICA MYDEK IS SEVEN YEARS OLD AND IS SUFFERING FROM AN ACUTE AND VERY RARE CASE OF CEREBRAL CARCINOMA. THIS CONDITION CAUSES SEVERE MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMORS AND IS A TERMINAL ILLNESS. THE DOCTORS HAVE GIVEN HER SIX MONTHS TO LIVE.

AS PART OF HER DYING WISH, THE POET WANTED TO START A CHAIN POEM TO INFORM PEOPLE OF THIS CONDITION AND TO SEND READERS THE MESSAGE TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST AND ENJOY EVERY MOMENT, A CHANCE THAT SHE WILL NEVER HAVE. FURTHERMORE, THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY AND SEVERAL CORPORATE SPONSORS HAVE AGREED TO DONATE THREE CENTS TOWARD CONTINUING CANCER RESEARCH FOR EVERY NEW READER THAT GETS FORWARDED THIS POEM. PLEASE GIVE JESSICA AND ALL CANCER VICTIMS A CHANCE. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, SEND THEM TO THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY AT ACS@AOL.COM
 

Monday 30 July 2012

Thursday 26 July 2012

Leonard Cohen's Longing is Dangerous

    • Becky Driscoll
    • Santa Mira
    We would still like to read lots more about the plaintiff's husband and his very interesting history with sexual harrassment lawsuits and his fights with the apartment building co-op in NY.
    • Harry Clark
    • Boulder Creek, CA
    First, Leonard Cohen's work transcends Buddhism and all other make-believes. To his credit he probably wouldn't say this but we all know it. Still, anything to bring KPCB down a notch can't be bad for it's real victims, the American worker.
    • kadewi
    • washington dc
    You don't give colleagues books that can be misinterpreted, period. And, if in doubt, don't give it.
    • lbetel
    • Toronto
    Gotta watch out for those Canadian poets - they're dangerous. Unlike those guys in finance.
    • Billy Bob
    • AZ
    I haven't read Cohen's book, but he is a well-known practitioner of Buddhism. Perhaps this might explain the gift. It seems obvious however that the gift might be misinterpreted by the receiver...or was it misinterpreted?
    • Bill Frerichs
    • Illinois
    Leonard Cohen is known for his interest in Buddhism. The book is profound and wide in scope. I have used poems from this book concerning nature in a children's program (while being careful not to leave the book out for review by the children). I would not hesitate about giving this book to a colleague, most of whom are women. I suppose if I knew someone very sexually conservative I might hesitate. Most adults can skip items that do not interest them.
    • alicein1land
    • San Francisco, CA
    While I love Leonard Cohen's work, what does his book have to do w/ Buddhism? Pao gave Komisar a Buddhist statue after their discussion and he gives her Cohen's book? Definitely falls into the sexual harassment arena.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Reccived the Book with Loose Pages

reccived the book with loose pages


Sort: Oldest first | Newest first
Showing 1-5 of 5 posts in this discussion
Initial post: Sep 30, 2009 7:33:14 PM PDT
i reccived this book with loose pages the first 10 not bound into the book

Posted on Oct 8, 2009 1:44:20 PM PDT
So, you thought any of us would care? Tell customer service.

In reply to an earlier post on Oct 9, 2009 4:56:31 PM PDT
i just wondered if anyone else had this mr smartass

In reply to an earlier post on Oct 10, 2009 8:46:20 PM PDT
I just ordered it today but I have faith that it'll be bound properly...He's sold a zillion copies already, so yours was probably an isolated problem. Good luck!

In reply to an earlier post on Oct 18, 2009 6:34:10 AM PDT
Last edited by the author on Oct 18, 2009 6:34:59 AM PDT
K. Mags RN says:
Mr. Aldridge - Unnecessarily rude!
Permalink | Report abuse | Ignore this customer
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Tuesday 24 July 2012

FOR REAL POETRY PATENTS!

Poetry screen saver



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Bottle poetry label




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Arabic poetry meter identification system and method


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Poetry magnet board



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Basic poetry generation




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Mirrored poetry display




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System and method for video poetry using text based related media



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And so very on and on! Check it out fer yerself!




Thursday 19 July 2012

Video for Your Poetry Parts

...That was EPIC.
I wish I could write like you girls.
;___;
You make me happy in my poetry parts.
Luv,
Ur Numbuh Wun Fayn.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Process and Finishing Options

Testimonials and Reviews


"You're ability to capture the special moments in Katrijn and my life in a poem is extraordinary. We have framed your work and displayed it in our home as a reminder of the special moments we've shared. Thank you. "

                                                                                                    Don Yoakum, Client
                                                                                                    (for a poem written for his wife)



"Thank you Shawn for the AMAZING job you did with the words and picture that will last a lifetime. The gift touched my husbands heart more than I ever imagined..Thank YOU!!! "

                                                                                                    Heather Goutermont-Russo, Client
                                                                                                    (First Year Anniversary Gift for her husband )



" ‎Heather, My sweetie... I am at a loss for word to express how your present made me feel. All I could do was cry knowing how you feel about me and the poem expresses it better than any way I ever could."

                                                                                                    Charles M. Russo, Recipient
                                                                                                    (First Year Anniversary Gift from his wife)

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Gina Reinhart, Our Renegade Poet-Hero of the Month!


Australia's wealthiest person, the mining magnate Gina Rinehart          Photo: GETTY IMAGES/Paul Kane

Our Future
The globe is sadly groaning with debt, poverty and strife
And billions now are pleading to enjoy a better life
Their hope lies with resources buried deep within the earth
And the enterprise and capital which give each project worth
Is our future threatened with massive debts run up by political hacks
Who dig themselves out by unleashing rampant tax
The end result is sending Australian investment, growth and jobs offshore
This type of direction is harmful to our core
Some envious unthinking people have been conned
To think prosperity is created by waving a magic wand
Through such unfortunate ignorance, too much abuse is hurled
Against miners, workers and related industries who strive to build the world
Develop North Australia, embrace multiculturalism and welcome short term foreign workers to our shores
To benefit from the export of our minerals and ores
The world's poor need our resources: do not leave them to their fate
Our nation needs special economic zones and wiser government, before it is too late


 
The poem, a sort of ode to mining titled "Our Future", has been engraved on a plaque fixed to a 30-ton iron ore bolder as part of a new outdoor artwork in the billionaire's home state of Western Australia. Ms Rinehart proposed that the bolder be installed as a monument to iron ore.
The poem, which consists of eight rhyming couplets, proclaims the benefits of the resources industry and lampoons the government. But its aesthetic quality has come under question, with one critic describing it on Wikipedia as "the universe's best poem, although many still dispute if it qualifies to be classified as poetry or pure, heavenly bliss".
An Australian poet, Geoff Lemon, said Ms Rinehart had achieved "almost functional iambic heptameter" that supercedes any previous instance of the form.
"[It] attempts a noble challenge: the rendering of economic theory and politico-economic ideology into stirring verse," he said on the Crikey website. "Some call it impossible to include phrases such as 'special economic zones' in a fluid and aesthetically pleasing poem. Those people are clearly morons . But Rinehart doesn't let that stop her."

Ms Rinehart, an heiress who has converted her father's mining assets into an empire with an estimated value of $AUS20 billion (£13.6 billion), says in the poem that unthinking people "have been conned/To think prosperity is created by waving a magic wand."

A creative writing lecturer at the University of Western Australia, Professor Dennis Haskell, praised Ms Rinehart for effort and noted her use of grammar and punctuation – particularly full stops – revitalized punctuation itself. "As a poet she's about as good as I am at critiquing," he told ABC radio.

"It's written with artistic merit in mind. And it's a polemical poem and we do have a tradition of those in Western Australia and I think good on her for having a go." He predicted that Ms Rinehart – tipped by Forbes magazine to be on track to become the world's richest woman – should consider quitting her day job.

"She'll make lodes of money out of poetry, that's for sure," he punned.